Jedis used the galactic credit standard to pay for things. Citizens and cylons alike used cubits.

Both the universes of both "Star Wars" and "Battlestar Galactica" were science fiction, but what would it take to make a standardized space currency a reality?

That is among the questions serving as the launch pad for PayPal's latest initiative, PayPal Galactic. The money-transfer company is turning its gaze to the stars and trying to figure out what has to happen in order to do business in space. How will banks adapt to space business? What regulations would apply? What will the standard currency even look like?

The initiative's website debuted on Wednesday night. David Marcus, the president of PayPal, and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin will make a formal announcement on Thursday.